


Bodyguard

by ijustliketowatch



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-05-28 00:14:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6305962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ijustliketowatch/pseuds/ijustliketowatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate universe story about Smoak Tech CEO, Felicty Smoak and her bodyguard Oliver Queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Drabblicity 3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2208183) by [ijustliketowatch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ijustliketowatch/pseuds/ijustliketowatch). 



> This started as a drabble and I've written every chapter in response to a prompt request on Tumblr. The first was an anon, the second was graellora, the third was (I think) ohmypreciousgirl.
> 
> I've made some small changes to make this a standalone, but this is mostly the same. I honestly can't guarantee I'll update this with any regularity from now on–or even at all–but if you have any feedback at all, that always provides inspiration.

John Diggle gave Oliver Queen one rule when he hired him: no fraternizing with the clients. He had never been tempted to break that rule in the 5 years of his employment (despite the enticing advances of a few lonely society wives), but for some reason, he can't seem to help getting friendly with Felicity Smoak, CEO and head creative genius of Smoak Tech.

She's not the first beautiful woman he's protected, but he's never had a client who was so determined to be his friend. Most of them politely ignore him, letting him melt into the background like he's supposed to. She, however, is always addressing him. But never as "Mr. Queen," like clients usually do. She dismissed that as too formal from the beginning. It's always, "Good night, Oliver," or "Oliver, what are your feelings on dumplings for lunch?" or even the too-familiar, "So, tell me about yourself, Oliver." He's gotten personal questions before sure, but most people listen politely and then forget immediately—blatant attempts not to seem like just a rich asshole. She actually seems to care, chatting with him whenever she wants to take a break from her work.

Still, he refuses to call her by her first name, despite how many times she asks him—which is every damn day. Every morning, he picks her up and she greets him with a bright, "Good morning, Oliver," to which he always responds, "Good morning, Ms. Smoak." And then she'll sigh and look at him over the top of her glasses and say, "you know, I wish you'd stop that." And he'll smirk and reply with a simple, "yes, ma'am," because he knows that irks her even more.

They play this little name game for three whole months until one day, she doesn't just roll her eyes and get in the car after.

"Are you really going to keep up this 'Ms. Smoak' thing forever?" she asks, sounding resigned.

"It's part of the job," he replies formally, squaring his shoulders.

"Listen, Oliver, I understand that, but please," she says, reaching out and placing her hand on his arm, surprising him. "I know you're supposed to be all formal and stoic, but I'd feel better if you and I could just pretend we're two buddies hanging out all day. It makes it easier for me to forget why you're really here." She smiles up at him–expression sweet and warm–and he can't resist.

"OK, Felicity," he says softly, satisfaction spreading through him at the sound of it. She gives him a big, dazzling grin and squeezes his arm.

"There," she says happily. "Was that so hard?" she asks and then turns away to climb into the car.

Oliver frowns after, because no, it was almost too easy.


	2. Chapter 2

He's always so serious.

Felicity understands why. It's part of the whole imposing bodyguard thing. And much as she bristled at the idea of having a bodyguard in the first place, even she feels more comfortable with Oliver around now. His quiet, watchful intensity makes her feel secure and calm when it feels like her mind is forever racing.

Which is why, when he's driving her home one night after a long day and a touch of panic seeps into his tone as he talks on the phone, she knows something must be very wrong.

"Is she OK?" he asks, voice shaky. He waits and listens, his foot suddenly heavier on the gas pedal. "I'll be there as soon as I can," he says and hangs up.

"Everything alright?" she asks, catching his eye in the rearview mirror.

"My sister was in a car accident," he replies, voice strained.

"Oh my God," Felicity says, hand flying to cover her mouth. "Is she alright?"

"She's conscious, but they think she might have a broken arm. They're going to do an x-ray and run some tests to make sure nothing else is wrong."

"Is she at Starling General?" she asks and he nods. "You should get off at the next exit or else you'll have to backtrack to get there."

"I'm taking you home first," he replies, turning briefly to give her a confused look.

"Oliver," she says, frowning at him in the rearview mirror. "Your injured sister trumps me getting home. I can catch a cab from the hospital."

"That's not safe," he counters.

"Well, then I'll call Mr. Diggle and ask him to send someone else to take me home." He opens his mouth to argue but she cuts him off. "This isn't up for discussion, Oliver. We're going to Starling General." She sees his hands tighten on the wheel and his jaw clench and she's not sure for a moment if he'll listen, but then, he sighs, flicks on the blinker and steers the car off the freeway.

Oliver is more agitated than Felicity has ever seen him by the time they arrive at the hospital and she almost has to run to keep up with him as he strides toward the reception desk.

"What room is Thea Queen in?" he demands and the nurse looks momentarily taken aback.

"Are you—" she starts, but is interrupted by another voice.

"Ollie!" a girl yells and they turn to find a small brunette being wheeled into one of the nearby rooms on a stretcher.

"Thea," he sighs in relief.

"I'm fine," she assures when they reach the room. Oliver places a hand gently on the side of her face–careful to avoid the bandage on her forehead and she smiles at him a moment before turning to tilt her head at Felicity. "Who's that?" she asks, pointing and then cringing because she accidentally used the arm that's currently wrapped in a splint.

"Oh, um, hi, Felicity Smoak," she stutters, embarrassed at intruding. "Sorry, I'll just—"

"The infamous Ms. Smoak," Thea says with a satisfied smile. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Wish I could say the same," Felicity blurts out, heat flooding her cheeks immediately after. She opens her mouth again to speak but is stopped when Thea chuckles and shakes her head, the same way Oliver always does.

"Typical Ollie," she says affectionately and looks up at him with a smile. He narrows his eyes and frowns at her and seems just about to object when a doctor comes into the room.

"Ms. Queen," he says formally, "are these—"

"He's my brother and that's his...boss, I guess?" she says and looks to Oliver for confirmation but goes on before he can speak. "Don't worry about them. You can say whatever you need to. So, how's my arm?" The doctor frowns a moment, looking between the two non-patients before answering.

"You have a fracture to your right ulna," he says. "You'll have to wear a cast for a few weeks. It's a clean break though and other than that, everything seems fine. I'd still like to keep you overnight for observation until we get a look at your MRI, but I expect we can discharge you in the morning. The best thing for you now is rest," the doctor says firmly, giving Oliver a pointed look and then leaving the room.

"Ugh," Thea grumbles, slouching on the bed. "Of course I have to stay here overnight."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Oliver asks and the tenderness in his voice surprises Felicity. She didn't know he was capable.

"No, it's fine," Thea replies, "I'm exhausted anyway. But you better pick me up first thing in the morning. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to." Oliver nods and leans down to gently kiss her on the forehead.

"It was nice to meet you," Felicity says as they leave.

"You too," Thea replies and then turns to give Oliver a strange look that has him looking stern in return.

Once they're back in the car, Oliver calls Mr. Diggle to ask for the morning off and Felicity feels a little disappointed at the prospect of not seeing him tomorrow—which is weird and selfish and completely inexplicable. Oliver heaves a sigh of relief when he finds someone to take his place, but he still seems antsy and more brooding than usual.

"Your sister seems sweet," Felicity offers.

"Don't let her fool you," he says and smirks at her in the mirror. "She's a hellion." Felicity chuckles, surprised when she realizes this is the first time he's made her laugh.

"Does your whole family call you 'Ollie?'" she asks, curious. "I can see why you don't use it for work. Not very imposing for a bodyguard."

"Childhood nickname," he replies with a half-smile. "Thea had a hard time saying the whole thing when she was little so my parents started using it too."

"Do they know Thea's alright?" she asks, alarmed at the idea that his parents might not know their daughter was in a car accident. "Did the hospital call them too?"

"Oh, um, that's not a," he mutters, grasping for words, "our parents are...they passed away."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Oliver. I didn't realize—"

"It's OK," he interrupts and smiles at her in the mirror.

"How did they...," she starts before stopping herself. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that," she adds in a hurry and then sinks into her seat a bit, prepared to quietly punish herself for the rest of the ride when he surprises her by answering her unfinished question.

"It was a few years ago," he says softly, sounding a little distant. "They were in a car accident," he says and she suddenly understands why he was so upset when he got the call about Thea. "Drunk driver hit them and they flipped into oncoming traffic. My father died instantly, but my mother...somehow...only broke a leg and got a concussion." He lapses into silence a moment and runs his hand over his face before going on. "That was how they found the cancer though," he says, voice cold. "The tumor was large, aggressive, they gave her six months at most."

"Oh my God," Felicity mutters, "that must have been awful for you both," she adds, unable to think of anything better.

"I was overseas at the time, but they discharged me so I could come home and take care of her and Thea. Our mother was a fighter, but watching her deteriorate so fast," he pauses, frowning at the memory, "Thea had a tough time staying focused. She was in high school at the time. Her grades slipped and then, after...well, she stopped showing up to class completely. John—Mr. Diggle and I had been in the army together and he had given me this job to help us make ends meet, so I couldn't watch her all day. There were drugs and she would disappear for days at a time. It got so bad that every time I got a phone call, I thought it would be the police telling me she had been hurt or arrested or.... And then one time it was the hospital. Somebody had left her in front of the emergency room after she almost OD'd."

"That must have been so scary," she says, raising a hand to place on his shoulder and then thinking better of it.

"Yeah," he agrees. "but thank God, that was what convinced her to get help. It took a long time, but she's in a much better place now. She got her GED, started college."

"That's amazing," Felicity says encouragingly. "You should be really proud."

"I am," he says with a small smile. "Hell, she took control of her life in a way I never could have at that age. My parents had to cut me off and push me into the military to get me under control."

Felicity opens her mouth to speak when Oliver slows the car to a stop and she suddenly realizes they've reached her house. He opens his door and walks around to open hers, offering his hand to help her out.

"Thanks," she says, pausing a moment. She feels like she should say something else but doesn't know what. "Thanks for bringing me home," she says, unable to think of anything better. "If you want to take the whole day off tomorrow to take care of Thea, don't worry about me. I'm sure Mr. Diggle can find a replacement. Or I can just drive myself around. I've almost forgotten what it's like."

Oliver huffs a laugh and then says a soft, "OK." She nods decisively and turns to go but stops when Oliver reaches out and grabs her arm.

"Felicity," he says, gently pulling her so she turns to look at him again. "Thank you."

"Of course," she says breathily, a little overwhelmed by the sincerity. She's never seen him with his guard down before and, from nowhere, she suddenly has the urge to ask him if he wants to come inside.

But the moment is broken before she can ask when he suddenly steps back, his hand falling back to his side as his posture goes ramrod straight, the bodyguard persona back in place.

"Goodnight, Ms. Smoak," he says, not using her first name for the first time in weeks.

"Goodnight, Oliver," she says and turns to go.


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver goes back to addressing Felicity as "Ms. Smoak" after that. He can see the way it disappoints her and he hates to do it, but the very fact he feels that way proves how necessary it is. He's fully recommitted to maintaining distance between them, ignoring Thea's unsubtle suggestions—and then Cooper Seldon breaks out of prison.

They're driving to a charity event when they hear the report over the radio:

"Early reports out of Iron Heights indicate that a facility-wide system malfunction caused the locking systems on all cell doors to fail and knocked out internal communications for several hours. Sources inside the prison say that personnel have nearly regained control of the high-security corrections facility and preliminary sweeps have revealed that Cooper Seldon is still unaccounted for. Seldon was convicted last year of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted murder after attacking Smoak Tech CEO—"

Oliver slams his hand on the power button of the radio before Felicity can hear anymore, but when he studies her in the rearview mirror, he can already see she's panicking. That's all he needs to see to decide what to do. He takes a sharp left turn at the closest intersection, ignoring honks from angry, oncoming drivers. He puts on speed to catch the next light and then accelerates even more as he enters the freeway.

"Where are you doing?" she asks, her voice edging on hysteria.

He opens his mouth to respond, but the sound of his phone ringing cuts him short. He registers Diggle's name on the screen and quickly accepts the call.

"We heard the news," he says instead of a greeting.

"You have a plan?" John asks.

"We're driving out of the city now. Her other properties are out of the question and anywhere public risks witnesses and a paper trail. I'm taking her to my family's lake house in the mountains and we can lay low there until Seldon is either apprehended or we find a way to make her apartment and office more secure. Any objections?"John deliberates for a second longer than Oliver expects and then says a firm, "No."

"I'll keep you updated with the situation here," John adds and then hangs up.

"But I don't have any clothes," Felicity says, voice small, frightened. Oliver glances at her in the rearview mirror again and while she doesn't seem as panicked before, she's too pale for his comfort.

"You can borrow some of mine," he replies, voice soft and kind.

"But you're gigantic," she says and the fact that she's too distracted to splutter a retraction worries him.

"We'll figure it out. Worst case scenario, I'll buy you something at one of the stores nearby."

"Why—?" she starts before he cuts her off.

"You're well known enough to be recognized. We can't risk that. I'll drop you off at the house and then go back into town for supplies."

"But I don't have any cash on me," she says, holding up her tiny clutch.

"You can pay me back," he says with a smile, "I'm sure you're good for it." Felicity manages a small smile and Oliver takes that as a good sign.

She sits back, breathing deep in an attempt to calm down, and then nearly jumps high enough to hit the roof. She scrabbles to open her purse, tears her phone out, rolls down the window and throws it out like it's on fire. She rolls the window back up and then slumps in the seat, breathing heavy.

Oliver is so stunned that for a moment, he doesn't know what to say. "I thought you loved your phone," he tries and he's rewarded when Felicity laughs.

"Coop—," she falters for a moment, "tracking a cell phone is easy and turning it off doesn't always help. He'll find a way."

"Should I throw mine out too?" he asks, reaching for his cell where it sits in the car's center console.

"What? No, he doesn't know you."

"He might," Oliver argues. "I've been seen with you at enough events to draw notice."

"Sure, but I don't think that's nec—" Felicity falls silent as he tosses the phone out the window without a second thought.

Oliver looks back into the mirror after and finds Felicity staring at him, stunned. He shrugs and winks at her and after a beat, she smiles too, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she tries not to laugh. It's a nice enough sight that Oliver barely cares when he realizes that he doesn't have his contacts backed up anywhere.

"So you have a lake house?" Felicity asks.

"Yeah, family vacation home," he explains. "We used to spend summers there when Thea and I were kids. We almost sold it to help pay for my mother's medical bills, but she insisted we keep it."

"Oh," Felicity says softly.

"I'm glad she did," Oliver continues, trying to force bright nonchalance into his voice. "I like to have somewhere to escape to, be in nature without the craziness of the city."

"I can imagine," she says with a weary sigh.

"How long has it been since you took a vacation?" Oliver asks, thinking of how often he glances in the mirror while driving Felicity home at night and sees her nodding off while typing one last email into her phone.

"Oh God, let me think," Felicity mutters, her forehead scrunching in thought. "Well, I usually go back to Vegas at least once a year to visit my mom, but that's not exactly relaxing. There was that trip to London last year, but that was work, so I spent most of it in offices and my hotel room. Then there was the Tokyo trip—same thing. I guess it was three years ago when I went to Florida for a friend's wedding."

"What?!" Oliver exclaims. "How have you not had a nervous breakdown by now? No wonder you drink so much coffee. You need it to keep upright." She leans forward to smack his arm but laughs while doing it.

"I do love my coffee," she admits. "It's just that I don't like to let my mind sit idle, you know? I get antsy when I don't have something to do."

"Well, you'll have to get used to that for as long as you're staying in my lake house," he says with mock severity. "I'm making it my personal mission to show you a good time."

"What did you have in mind?" she asks, and Oliver can tell by the way she blushes and looks away that she didn't mean to sound so...flirtatious. He watches her a moment as she stares down at her lap where her hands fiddle with her purse. He tries to think of a response, but the mood has shifted and he's afraid that if he says something–especially the wrong thing–he'll upset some delicate balance. So, instead, he tightens his grip on the steering wheel and they sit in silence for the rest of the drive.

They continue sitting in silence a moment even after he pulls up to the house and shuts off the car. Oliver gives Felicity a nervous smile in the mirror and she smiles back, just as tentative. He walks around to open her door and when he reaches down to help her out of the car, an odd thrill runs through him when she places her hand in his.

"Looks...nice," she says and tilts her head toward the house. Oliver mutters a thank you, but he suspects she's just trying to fill the silence considering it's so dark he can barely see the structure's outline against the night sky. It's pitch black inside the house when they first step through the door and he reaches out to flick on the light. They stand there a moment, shifting on their feet, and Oliver isn't sure why it's so awkward or why Felicity seems to be avoiding his eyes.

"Well, um, living room is that way," he says and points toward the darkened room to his left. "There's a patio outside the glass doors that looks onto the lake and leads to our dock." He points in the opposite direction and continues. "Kitchen is that way. There's also an office and a game room on this floor." He pauses and then shoves his hands in his pockets and tilts his head toward the staircase directly in front of them. "Bedrooms are upstairs."

Felicity nods, but she's still not looking at him. Instead, she's staring in the direction of the stairs, absently rubbing her hands over her arms.

"I'll turn on the heat," Oliver offers, noticing for the first time how cold it is. "It'll take awhile to get going though, so we should probably get you something a little warmer to wear."

"All right," she agrees finally turning to him. Oliver holds out his hand, letting her lead the way. He flicks on the light above the staircase and and then follows her up, the sound of her heels clicking on the wooden stairs and the light shushing of the fabric of her dress moving against her skin the only sound in the house.

"You and Thea are about the same height," he says to fill the silence. "She might have some clothes in her room that will fit you." Felicity lets him lead the way when they reach the top of the stairs and he flicks on lights as they go until they reach a door on the right side of the hall. He opens it, turns on the light, walks to the chest of drawers against the wall and opens the second drawer from the top. He picks up a pink frilly thing off the top of the pile and frowns when he holds it up and sees how small it is.

"How small do you think I am?" Felicity jokes and Oliver smiles. 

"Sorry," he says and refolds the shirt. "Thea hasn't been here much since...since our parents passed." Felicity gives him a sympathetic smile and then reaches out to place her hand on his arm. Oliver feels the same electric thrill as before and he quickly pulls away under the guise of rifling through the rest of the drawers. However, after searching there and the closet, he still comes up empty-handed.

"I have some clothes in my room," he offers and leads her out into the hall. She follows him to the master bedroom where he turns on the light and then opens a drawer. "Pants or shorts?" he asks, looking up at her.

"Um, pants," she replies. Oliver digs out a pair of sweats and one of his army t-shirts and hands them to her. "Thanks," she says and hugs them to her chest.

"Bathroom is over there," he says, pointing. "Go ahead and try them on."

Felicity nods and then heads off. Oliver watches her go and she gives him a small smile before she shuts the door to the bathroom. He stares after her a second and then decides he needs to distract himself when images of Felicity slipping out of her dress just behind that door pop unbidden into his mind. He heads to the fireplace set in the wall opposite the bed and sets to work. He's just gotten the logs to ignite when he hears the door open behind him.

"I can't do anything about the shirt," Felicity says, "but I managed to roll the pants enough that I'll avoid any tragic tripping accidents." Oliver turns to respond when the sight of her in his clothes–engulfed in them really–sets his his heart pounding and makes heat pool low in his belly.

"You should sleep in here," he blurts, surprising both himself and her. "This is the only room with a fireplace," he adds quickly. "Like I said, the heater will take awhile to kick in."

"But where will you sleep?" she asks.

"I'll sleep in my old room," he urges, standing and walking toward her. "It's across from Thea's."

"Oliver, you really don't need to do that."

"It's fine," he says placing his hands on her shoulders. Felicity seems surprised by the contact and he pulls away. He turns from her, retreating toward the door and then turns to address her again at a safer distance.

"I'm gonna head to town," he says. "I shouldn't be gone too long. I'll turn on the heat and lock the doors before I leave."

"OK," Felicity says, wrapping her arms around herself. "What if something happens while you're gone?"

"It won't," Oliver says firmly, trying to reassure her, but it doesn't seem to make her any less anxious. "There's a phone in the office next door," he offers. "If you feel at all unsafe, you call the police."

"What's the address here?" she asks, sounding skeptical.

"Just tell them you're in the Queen house. They know where it is." Felicity cocks an eyebrow at him and Oliver can't help but laugh. "Thea and I terrorized this town for years," he admits. Felicity laughs too and then says a soft, "alright."

"You want anything in particular from the store?" he asks. "Bacon and eggs for breakfast? Cereal?"

"Jewish," she replies pointing at herself, "so no bacon unless it's turkey. Otherwise I trust you. But nothing with nuts. I'm—"

"Allergic," Oliver finishes, "I know."

"Right," she says, smiling.

"Great," he replies before adding, "oh, and what size clothes do you wear? There's a store in town that might have something."

Felicity looks shocked by the question and Oliver finds the way she tries to avoid telling him in the ensuing minutes kind of adorable. However, after much prodding on his part and a lot of blushing on hers, he finally gets an answer. He tells her where to find any toiletries she might need, grabs her a water from the bar fridge downstairs just in case and then sets off for town.

Oliver goes for the clothes first and the selection is even worse than he imagined. Felicity's tastes run fashionable, feminine, but the cheaply-made t-shirts and functional athletic gear that make up the store's stock are anything but. Even worse, it's clear that they haven't gotten anything new in since the last tourist season ended and Oliver has to dig to find anything remotely close to her size. He thinks that Felicity will have to keep wearing his clothes if they have to stay for any significant amount of time and then rushes off toward the cash register before he can analyze why that thought gives him so much satisfaction.

The owner gives him a confused look as she rings him up and Oliver lies and says they're for Thea. The woman nods and they chat idly about how his sister's doing.

From there, Oliver heads to the grocery store and he's thankful that its stock isn't as desolate. He buys enough food for a few days and then heads home.

All told, he was gone just under two hours, but Oliver is surprised to realize how anxious he was to leave Felicity alone when the tension leaves his shoulders as he parks the car. He pauses when he first walks into the house–listening–and assumes Felicity is asleep when he doesn't hear anything except the gentle hum of the central heating. He goes to the kitchen and he's just putting the last of the groceries away when he hears Felicity scream from upstairs.

Oliver sets off running immediately and he's got his gun out of its holster by the time he reaches the stairs. He sprints down the hallway, praying he's not already too late and then kicks the door open, gun raised.

Felicity screams again as he enters the room, but instead of finding her with an attacker, he finds her alone in the bed, cowering against the headboard and looking terrified as she stares at him. He points the gun at the ceiling and raises his hands in front of him, showing her he's not a threat.

"Are you OK?" he asks softly, approaching her slowly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she insists, but then she drops her head to her hands and starts to sob, her whole body shaking. Oliver holsters his gun and closes the distance, kneeling next to the bed and gently resting one hand on her shoulder and another on her leg over the blankets.

"Hey, hey," he says softly. "You're OK. You're safe," he assures.

"I know," Felicity sputters. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Oliver replies, sliding his hand lower so he can rub her back. "You want to tell me what happened?"

"No, it's..." she drops her hands, taking deep, deliberate breaths as she tries to calm down, "it's stupid."

"Nothing that makes you this upset could be stupid, Felicity," Oliver offers, smiling encouragingly. She glances at him quickly, looking embarrassed but appreciative.

"I had a nightmare," she chokes out, sounding angry with herself.

"Then no wonder you're upset," he says. She turns to him in confusion and he explains, "I have nightmares too."

"About what?" she asks and then clenches her hands into fists. "I'm sorry," she says, turning away and shaking her head angrily, "You don't have to tell me." Oliver deliberates a moment and then speaks.

"Usually the Army," he says and she turns toward him, a soft look on her tear-streaked face. "Sometimes it's about my parents, for awhile it was mostly Thea. Now..." He pauses, remembering the morning two days ago when he woke up in a cold sweat after dreaming about Felicity being killed, the shame and loss he'd felt when he'd been too late to save her. "Now it varies," he says, looking away from her to where his hand rests on top of the blanket. He sees Felicity's hand move toward his out of the corner of his eye and when she wraps it around the back of his, he looks up at her again.

"Does it get better?" she asks.

"Eventually," he replies, encouraging and soft. "You just have to give yourself time," he adds, squeezing her leg through the blanket.

"Ugh, I know. I just thought I was past this. I haven't had a nightmare since he was convicted. I hate that he has this control over me. I don't want to be afraid anymore."

"You don't have to be," Oliver assures. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Felicity smiles at him a moment and then, before Oliver realizes what she's doing, before he can pull away, she wraps him into a hug.

"Thank you," she whispers and Oliver slides the hand he already has on her back down and around her waist. She holds onto him a moment and then pulls back and when Oliver leans back and looks into her eyes, he feels an amplified version of the same thrill he felt when he helped her out of the car earlier.

He moves to stand, ignoring the look of hurt and confusion on Felicity's face as her arms fall back to her sides.

"You should try to get some sleep," he says.

He turns to go, but stops when he feels Felicity's hand wrap around his wrist. He turns and looks at her.

"Will you...will you stay with me?" she asks. "Just until I fall asleep," she adds when she sees the look on his face.

Oliver knows he shouldn't. He knows he should go back to his room or pace outside her door the rest of the night, ready to run in at the slightest sound of distress. He knows the most he should do is sit in one of the chairs across the room and leave the moment she falls asleep.

Instead, he breaks every code of his profession and slides into bed next to her. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her close and Felicity responds in kind, resting her head on his chest and bringing her body flush against his. Oliver hesitates a moment and then brings his free hand up to stroke her hair, because what's the point in resisting? It's already too late.

He doesn't know when it happened, but somewhere along the way, his relationship with Felicity became more than professional. He looks down at her pressed against him and knows that he can't go back to treating her like just a client.

She only asked him to stay until she fell asleep, but Oliver stays the whole night. He decides to indulge because after this, he has to end it. Caring for Felicity compromises his professional judgement and Oliver refuses to take risks with her life—even if he wants to be the one to protect her.

He requests a transfer the moment they get back to Starling City.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple things before we start. If you haven't noticed by now, this is a long chapter. There are reasons for that you'll find out soon enough, but this is also kind of my style. Once a fic becomes multi-chap for me, I treat it like a novel. That's true here definitely, but subsequent chapters likely won't be this long. Hope this is worth the effort and the wait.

For months, Oliver Queen has been the first person Felicity sees every morning. Each day, she steps out of her building and finds him standing next to the open door of his car, a polite smile on his face.

This morning, however, she finds someone else waiting.

"Good morning, Ms. Smoak," she says. "My name is Sara Lance. I'm going to be your bodyguard from now on."

If she were thinking straight, if she weren't so shocked and confused, Felicity might be able to form a coherent response. Instead, she says, "but you're a girl." The woman's eyebrows shoot up in surprise and Felicity blushes as she starts to backpedal. "I'm sorry, I can't believe I just said that. I've been hearing that crap my whole life and I hate it. It's just that you're, like, my height and Oliver's practically a giant. Not that that necessarily means you can't do your job—otherwise Mr. Diggle wouldn't have hired you. I'm sure you're just as strong as Oliver. The way that blazer fits certainly makes me think so. I mean—"

"Oliver said you were honest," Sara interrupts, smirking at her. "And funny," she finishes, sounding genuinely amused.

"Where is Oliver?" Felicity asks.

"He's been reassigned."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure, ma'am," Sara says, holding the door open for her as she climbs into the car. Felicity cringes and then holds out her arm to keep her from closing the door.

"Sara," she says, "I am not an old woman. Call me Felicity."

"OK," she replies with a chuckle, putting up none of the resistance Oliver did for months. Sara closes the door and in the ensuing silence before she climbs behind the wheel, Felicity begins to think of Oliver—and she's angry.

What is Mr. Diggle thinking, transferring him? She's come to depend on Oliver. She doesn't know how she would have handled Cooper's escape from Iron Heights without him. His quick, decisive actions had calmed her, kept her from worrying that Cooper would be hiding around every corner.

Now, without Oliver here, she can feel that terror creeping back in. She knows she shouldn't worry. Cooper was last seen leaving the country, so he may still be at large, but he's not close. They wouldn't have come back to Starling City otherwise. She tries to remember that this Sara person–despite her size–is just as qualified as Oliver, but it doesn't work. She's anxious and exposed and she doesn't like it. She's doesn't want to be afraid and she'd expected Oliver to help her feel that way. She'd needed Oliver's promise to protect her—more than she'd known. How dare John Diggle take that away from her.

She's furious by the time she reaches the office, so much so that Sara has to half-jog to keep up with her once the elevator doors open on the executive floor. Usually, Oliver stands just inside of her office, staring down the hall toward the elevator bank. But now, after Felicity strides through her glass office doors, she does a quick about-face and bars Sara's way.

"I need to make a phone call," she says, voice intense. "If you could wait out here until I'm finished."

"Sure," Sara replies, looking surprised.

"Thanks," she says, trying to sound a bit more polite.

Felicity shuts the glass door and has the thought that it won't do much to drown out the sound, but if Sara overhears her ripping into her boss, then that's just too bad. John Diggle only has himself to blame.

The phone rings twice before he picks up with a polite, "Good morning, Ms. Smoak. What can I do for you?"

"You can start by telling me what the hell you think you're doing," she hurls in the angry half-yell her mother has always called her "Loud Voice."

"Excuse me?" he says, confused.

"Why did you transfer Oliver Queen to another assignment?" she demands. She hears him inhale to respond, but she cuts him off. "Cooper is a dangerous man and while I realize Oliver's methods may have been unorthodox, he did the right thing by taking me out of the city as quickly as possible." She takes a breath and hears Mr. Diggle try to get a word in edgewise, but she keeps going. "Oliver shouldn't be punished for doing the right thing. I'd like him transferred back to me by tomorrow."

There's silence on the other end and Felicity is just getting impatient when Mr. Diggle finally speaks.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Smoak," he says, "I assumed you and Mr. Queen had discussed this."

"Discussed what?"

"He asked to be reassigned."

"Oh," Felicity says quietly.

"I apologize again for the confusion," Mr. Diggle says. "But I assure you Sara is just as qualified. If you're still not satisfied after a few days, I'd be glad to assign someone else."

"No, she should be fine," she says, voice hollow. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," she adds, feeling ashamed. "I...I didn't know."

"Not a problem, Ms. Smoak. This should have been handled better," he adds, sounding annoyed. "You have a good day."

"You too," she replies and then sets the phone down and stares at it.

It had never even crossed Felicity's mind that Oliver would have asked for the transfer and now that she knows he did, she's flabbergasted. She thinks back to their time at his family's lake house and wonders when he made the decision.

The morning after they'd arrived, she'd woken up to find him asleep in bed next to her, one arm around her shoulder and his hand wrapped around hers where it lay against his chest. She'd stared at him a moment–surprised yet somehow pleased to find him there–and watched his eyes flutter open. He'd been awkward and distant the rest of the day, but Felicity had chalked that up to him being embarrassed over falling asleep. They'd gotten the news about Cooper leaving the country that afternoon and returned to Starling City that night. He'd seemed quiet when he dropped her off, sounded a little strange when he said goodbye, but she hadn't thought anything was off.

Now she doesn't know what to think. She doesn't even know how she feels. Mostly, she's confused.

Despite his businesslike demeanor in the beginning, Oliver had warmed to her as time went on. She had even begun to consider him a friend. And after what he'd said about protecting her...well, she didn't know what to call that, but it wasn't mere friendship, that's for sure. But maybe she had misread things between them. Maybe his actions had been purely for the sake of his job.

Felicity tries to convince herself that's the truth and get to work, but she can't help thinking of Oliver every time she looks up from her desk and sees Sara standing there, getting a little angrier each time. If Oliver was just telling her what she needed to hear by promising to protect her, then he never should have said it at all. After seeing how bad her nightmares can be–especially considering he knows exactly what that feels like–what he's done is downright cruel.

Finally, after wasting most of her day trying and failing to focus on work, she decides there's no point. She needs answers.

She could, and should, just call him. Oliver may have refused to let her buy him a cell phone when she picked up her own replacement upon their return to Starling last night, but it's possible he could have picked one up since then. She even gets as far as taking out her cell to look up his number, but hesitates midway through dialing. If he even picks up, getting an explanation over the phone doesn't feel like enough. Too easy to hide behind words. She wants to confront him face to face, to ambush so him so he can't give her anything but the truth. She sets down her phone and turns to her computer instead.

Oliver's address isn't easily searchable–which makes sense considering his profession–but Felicity isn't discouraged. Her hacking days aren't that far behind her. She barely breaks the law to find it, but what she does to find out if he's currently home is a little more questionable in its legality. She pumps her fist in the air and yells, "yes!" when she gets confirmation and then quickly reins in her excitement when Sara turns her head sharply and gives her a questioning look. She wraps up the actual work she should have been doing, tells her assistant she'll be leaving a little early and then heads out with Sara by her side. They start to drive toward Felicity's, but she speaks up.

"Change of plans, Sara," she says. "I'd like you to take me to this address instead." She recites it confidently (having memorized it earlier) and is surprised when Sara actually turns around in her seat to look at her.

"You want to go to Oliver's place?" she asks. That pulls Felicity up short. She didn't expect her to know it.

"Yes," she replies. Sara stares at her a moment, eyes narrowed, and then sighs heavily.

"Alright," she agrees and Felicity breathes a sigh of relief, but a few seconds later, she's anxious.

"So, how well do you know Oliver?" Felicity asks, though she really wants to ask, "how do you know where Oliver lives?"

"Very," Sara replies and Felicity worries that's all she'll say, but she goes on. "He, Digg and I were all in the service together. We've all been friends a long time."

"Oh," Felicity says enthusiastically.

"And we used to date," Sara adds.

"Oh," Felicity says less enthusiastically. Sara glances up at her in the mirror and Felicity holds her gaze for a moment before Sara returns her attention to the road.

"Oliver's a good guy," Sara says after a pause. "He has a tendency to self-sabotage and cut off emotionally, but he means well."

"Is that why you guys ended things?" Felicity asks and then quickly adds, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Sort of," Sara says. "The army is very strict about not allowing romantic relationships between soldiers, but Oliver and I wouldn't have ended up in military school together if we actually followed rules." There's mirth in her voice as she says it, but her tone is deathly serious when she adds, "Tommy wouldn't have either."

"Who's Tommy?" Felicity asks, voice soft, wary.

"Another guy who was in our unit, but Ollie and I knew him long before we were deployed together. We were all in military school because our parents had run out of ways to try to get us to behave, but Ollie and Tommy had similar backgrounds—parents with a little money and a lot of disappointment in their sons. We were really close in school, Tommy even dated my sister." She pauses and Felicity can see the sad smile on Sara's face in the review mirror.

"Out there, when everything is so dangerous and anyone could die any second, being in a relationship with someone who's in the same danger compromises your judgement, puts everyone at risk. But you always think you'll be the exception, that you'll last through the stress and the death and nobody will get hurt because of it."

"But someone did," Felicity says softly, sympathetically. Sara glances up at her in the mirror and gives her a tight smile before she continues.

"We were in a dangerous area," she says. "Tommy and I were closer to the front, Digg and Ollie were a little further back. We were being so careful, but in the end it didn't matter. This scraggly little dog walked out from between two buildings and stepped on a mine. I was close enough to the blast that I was knocked to the ground. I was just getting my bearings back when the shooting started, but before I could move, Ollie dragged me out of the line of fire." Sara pauses a second and when she speaks again, there's emotion in her voice. "He turned back to get Tommy, but it was too late."

She pauses and Felicity tries to think of something–anything–to say, but Sara starts talking again before she can.

"Things were different between us after that," she says. "We all knew Ollie could only save one of us, but he couldn't see it that way. He was obsessed with trying to figure out what he could have done differently. And I knew he didn't regret saving me over Tommy–we loved each other–but it's hard to remember that when the other person is a constant reminder that a friend died for us."

"That's awful," Felicity cuts in, voice pained. "I'm so sorry you guys had to go through that."

Sara gives Felicity an appreciative smile and goes on.

"I think Ollie and I were both a little relieved when he was sent back to take care of his mother—twisted as that sounds. He used the distance as an excuse not to communicate and I let him. We were headed toward a break up anyway, but him cheating on me with Laurel definitively ended things." Felicity gives her a confused look in the mirror and Sara quickly adds, "my sister."

"OK, wow," Felicity says with disdain, "that is really terrible. I get he was hurting, but that's cruel."

"It was," Sara agrees, "and I hated both of them at the time, but now I understand." Felicity makes a surprised face at her in the mirror and Sara cracks half a smile before going on. "They both missed Tommy, being together was an extension of that. It was selfish, but they didn't mean to hurt me."

Felicity opens her mouth to respond, but is cut short when Sara maneuvers the car to the side of the road.

"Here we are," Sara says before she opens her door and steps out. She walks around the car and opens Felicity's door and then reaches down to help her climb out. They stand awkwardly a moment, saying nothing, and then Felicity leans forward and pulls Sara into a hug.

"Thanks," she says softly.

"Sure," Sara replies, her arms coming up to wrap around her. "You want me to wait here?" she offers and takes a step back.

"That's OK," Felicity replies. "Forcing him to drive me home after I yell at him seems like appropriate punishment for disappearing in the first place." Sara chuckles and shakes her head.

"Give 'im hell," she encourages and then walks back around the car. She gives Felicity a quick wave before she climbs in and Felicity watches her drive away before turning to face Oliver's building.

It's not what she expected. After seeing his family's lake house, she frankly thought he'd live somewhere a bit nicer. The building is old and when she tries the outer door, she's unsurprised but disappointed to find that the lock is broken. She's even more disappointed when she realizes there's no elevator and she'll have to climb four flights of stairs to get to Oliver's apartment. She grumbles and sighs, considers taking her heels off until she sees how dirty the floors are, and then starts to climb.

"Dear God, I need to get to the gym more often," she says when she finally reaches the correct floor. She takes a moment to catch her breath so she doesn't embarrass herself when Oliver opens the door and then finds his apartment. She takes a deep, steadying breath and then knocks.

After a moment, she hears heavy footsteps coming toward the door and then hears a metallic sound as Oliver slides back the eyehole cover. Felicity smiles toward it, feeling self-conscious, and then hears the cover slide back into place. She expects the door to open, but it doesn't. She doesn't hear footsteps walking down the hall again either so she knows he's still standing on the other side of the door.

"Oliver?" she ventures. There's silence for a few more moments and then she hears the loud thunk of the lock. He pulls the door open and Felicity is thrown off balance when she finds him standing in his doorway in sweatpants and no shirt, a towel draped around his neck the only thing obstructing her view of his chiseled, glistening chest. "Holy Mother of God," she says lowly. She hears Oliver huff a laugh and then forces herself to look at his face.

"I just got out of the shower," he explains, trying hard not to smile. "Maybe you should've called ahead."

"I didn't think you'd gotten a new cell phone," she replies.

"Before I went to the gym," he replies.

"Well, maybe I would've known that if you hadn't asked to transfer to another assignment," she fires back. Oliver looks momentarily surprised and stung and then sighs.

"You want to come in?" he asks and takes a step back so he's no longer blocking the doorway.

"Sure," Felicity replies. He closes the door behind her and they're suddenly standing very close in the narrow hallway that leads into the rest of his apartment. She can smell the clean, fresh smell of soap coming off his body mixed with his own muskier scent and Felicity has to force herself to look up at Oliver instead of leaning in and breathing deep. He quickly turns away when their eyes meet and leads her down the hall. He picks the towel up from around his neck and then scrubs it through his hair with both hands. Felicity is momentarily mesmerized by the way his muscles ripple until she notices how many scars cover Oliver's back. She realizes then that there were a lot of scars on his chest and arms too, but she was too busy ogling to really register them.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Oliver offers, his voice a bit muffled by the towel. He takes it off and wraps it around his neck again then stops and turns toward her. "You can have anything you want as long as it's beer, water or orange juice," he offers

She smiles and then replies, "Um, I'm OK."

"Go ahead and take a seat," he says, tilting his head toward his living room couch. "I'll be right back."

"OK," Felicity replies. She takes off her coat and sets it and her purse down on the couch, but she doesn't join them. Instead, she takes the opportunity to examine her surroundings.

They're sparse to say the least. There's a TV and a sound system, but not much decoration other than a few framed photos on the mantle across the room. She walks over to them and sees some familiar faces. Oliver and Thea as teenagers, the former with an unfortunate and highly-douche-y haircut. Them as children, bookended by a man and a woman Felicity assumes are their parents. Oliver in the army, one arm around Sara and the other around a young guy with dark hair and devastating blue eyes that Felicity doesn't recognize.

"Tommy," she says under her breath, realizing who he must be. She moves to pick up the frame and get a closer look when she's startled by a sharp hissing noise across the room. She turns toward it and finds Oliver–now wearing a shirt–removing the cap from a beer bottle.

"Here," he says, holding it out to her.

"But I..."

"Humor me. I don't like to drink alone."

"OK," Felicity says and takes the beer. He twists the cap off a second bottle with his bare hands as if it's nothing and takes a long pull from it before he takes a seat on one end of the couch. Felicity does the same, but on the opposite end. She stares down at the bottle in her hands, nervously rolling it between them, before she lifts it to her lips and takes a sip. She's about to speak, if only to break the awkward silence, when Oliver beats her to it.

"Digg told me you called him this morning," he says, "said you Loud Voiced him."

"Oh God," Felicity says, smacking her hand on her forehead.

"I think you actually scared him," he adds, amused.

"Well, I didn't know at the time that I should have been yelling at you," she says a little bitterly. Oliver turns away then and stares down at the beer in his hand. "Why did you leave, Oliver?" she asks, and she's surprised to see him flinch at the question.

"I had to," he says.

"What does that even mean?" Felicity asks, rearranging herself so she's facing him. "The only thing you had to do was keep your promise to protect me," she presses.

"I'm trying," he says and looks at her again, his expression so sincere that Felicity is almost distracted from her anger.

"Try harder," she replies harshly. She sets her beer down hard on the coffee table in front of her and moves closer to him on the couch. "I was afraid all day today. And I know I should've trusted Sara to protect me if anything happened, but you were the one who promised to keep me safe." She sets her hand on Oliver's arm and he jumps at the contact, his eyes a little wild. "I believed you," she says. "I felt safe again. And then you just left. I need you to tell me why."

"I can't," Oliver says and sets his bottle down so hard on the table that some of the contents slosh out. He stands then, turning away from her as he walks across the room, but Felicity won't let him run.

"Why?" she demands. She stops in front of him, barring his way, and steps in close so he has to look at her. "What could be so terrible that you would leave when you know how afraid I am? Do you even care about me? Or were you just telling me what I needed to hear?"

"I meant what I said," he snaps.

"How am I supposed to believe that, Oliver?" she demands, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "How does not being near me make me safer? What possible justification—"

Felicity doesn't get to finish her sentence because Oliver takes her face in both hands and kisses her. At first, she's too stunned to even process what's happening, but just when she's starting to appreciate how much she actually likes the feel of his lips on hers, he pulls away. She keeps her eyes shut a moment and when she opens them, she sees his lips, still so close. She wants them closer, but she forces herself to look up into Oliver's eyes instead.

She sees a lot in them, mostly want and apology, but above all, pleading. And as Sara's words flash through Felicity's mind, it all becomes so unbelievably clear. Oliver doesn't see her as just a client. He cares about her, but he's not supposed to. What happened with Tommy and Sara taught him that. So he left before things went wrong. And while Felicity understands his reasoning, she can't agree with it—especially when that kiss felt so good.

So, before he can say anything, before he can make an excuse, she grabs the front of Oliver's shirt with both hands and pulls him to her, lips crashing into his. He doesn't respond at first, but before Felicity can start to worry, he wraps his arms around her and kisses her back. He slides his tongue against her lips and she parts them eagerly. She slides her hands down the fabric of his shirt and then slips them beneath the hem and onto the skin of his stomach. Oliver moans against her lips and then backs her against a nearby wall, pressing himself against her.

They kiss until they're both panting and when Oliver pulls back so they can both catch their breaths, he reaches down and pulls off his shirt. Felicity admires his physique and then smooths her hands over the taut muscles of Oliver's stomach and chest, the feeling even more satisfying now that she can see the way he reacts to her touch. She gently grazes his skin with her nails when she loops her fingers into the waistband of his sweats and then looks up at his face when he makes a soft humming sound. His eyes are dark and intense and before she realizes what's happening, Oliver grabs her roughly and lifts her. She wraps her legs around his waist and he starts walking, navigating them around his apartment even as he leans in to kiss her. Felicity threads her fingers through his hair and is surprised to find it damp until she remembers he was in the shower not long ago. She likes that image.

Felicity isn't giving much thought to where Oliver is taking her until she feels herself falling backwards. She let's out a surprised squeal that's cut short when her back hits something soft.

"Sorry," Oliver says, laughing as he brushes her hair out of her face.

"It's OK," she replies, blushing but laughing too. Oliver smiles down at her a moment and Felicity thinks he's never been more attractive until he reaches up and gently plucks her glasses off her face. He pushes up off her and walks away to put them down and Felicity takes in her surroundings. They're in his bedroom, which seems to be as sparsely decorated as the rest of his apartment, though she can't be sure since the only illumination comes from the last remnants of daylight coming through the windows and the streetlights outside. However, she likes his bed instantly. The sheets, a dark forrest green that's almost black, are soft and even better, they smell like Oliver, a slightly more diminished version of the scent that radiated off his warm, clean skin when he opened the door earlier.

She's distracted from that pleasant memory as Oliver flicks on a light on the bedside table–where he's also set her glasses–then walks back into her view and stops at the foot of the bed. Felicity pushes up so she's sitting and Oliver drops to his knees on the floor between her feet. She reaches out and rests her hands on his shoulders and he places his hands on her waist.

"Hey," Oliver says softly.

"Hi," Felicity replies and smiles. His hands slide off her waist and down her legs and Felicity feels a thrill when one hand touches her bare knee below the hem of her dress. His hand lingers there, fingers teasing the skin, before it continues down. He drags his fingers softly, deliciously over her calf until he reaches her foot and then wraps them around her shoe, gently pulling at the heel until it comes off. He does the same with the other shoe and then leans forward, to run his hands along her sides.

Felicity takes the opportunity to rub her hands over Oliver's back and shoulders and she's distracted from how nice it is to touch him every time her fingers run over the scar tissue that covers his back. She's kept from dwelling on that, though, when she feels him tug lightly at the zipper on the back of her dress.

"May I?" Oliver asks, smirking up at her. Felicity bites her bottom lip to keep from laughing and then nods. He pulls the zipper down and his smile is replaced by that intense look he gave her earlier. Felicity ignores the way that look makes her heart flutter and stands. Without breaking eye contact, she slides her dress straps off her shoulders and then let's the whole thing fall to the floor, pooling around her feet.

Neither of them moves as they stare at each other, and then in the same moment that Felicity leans down to kiss Oliver, he moves up toward her. His arms wrap around her, lifting her slightly so he can place her on the bed more gently this time. Oliver settles on top of her and Felicity can't help but think of the last time they were in a bed together at the lake house.

Felicity wouldn't deny there had been...tension...between them during the day, but she had chocked up the satisfaction she felt when he agreed to stay until she fell asleep to needing to feel safe. But as Oliver tangles his fingers in her hair as he kisses her, she knows she was just kidding herself. She wonders what Oliver was thinking in that moment, when his feelings changed about her, but she can ask those questions later. Right now she's more interested in doing something about the tension between them.

She lets her legs fall a little wider apart and then brings one leg up around Oliver's hip, squeezing so that he grinds even harder against her. Oliver grunts and moves one hand from her hair to her back. He unhooks her bra with impressive ease and then stops kissing her as he leans up to help her remove it. He stares down at her nearly naked body a few moments and Felicity is just starting to feel self-conscious when he actually licks his lips. He wraps one hand around each breast and then leans down to kiss her again, his hands gently massaging her flesh as he slips his tongue into her mouth. He pinches her nipples between his fingertips and Felicity moans, back arching. She can feel Oliver smile against her lips and then his mouth trails away from hers, over her chin and down to her neck. He sucks on her flesh, grazing his teeth against it, and she can't stop herself from squirming beneath him.

She squirms even more when he sucks one of her nipples into her mouth, making her gasp. Felicity lets go of his shoulders and runs her fingers through his hair, moaning when he stops sucking only to circle his tongue around her nipple. He keeps teasing her, and just as Felicity thinks she can't take it anymore, he stops. But the respite is short-lived as he moves across her chest and teases her other nipple, his thumb picking up where his mouth left off on the taut, damp skin of the first. Her hips move of their own accord, the feel of his hard length between her legs as she moves both too much and not enough.

"Please," Felicity begs, though even she isn't sure what she wants Oliver to do next. He looks up into her eyes and pulls away, briefly trapping her nipple between his tongue and his teeth to give her one last jolt of pleasure-pain. He kisses down her stomach, his scruff scraping deliciously against her skin and Felicity holds her breath as she watches him. Oliver looks up at her as he places a kiss on the top edge of her panties—part of his mouth on her skin and the rest on the fabric and his tongue tracing the line between. He kisses her over the fabric, moving with it as he pulls it down with both hands. He has to slip off the edge of the bed to get them off completely, but even then he never breaks eye contact.

Oliver tosses her panties over his shoulder and then finally looks down at her naked body. He delicately lifts one of Felicity's feet and places it on his shoulder and then leans forward so he can run his hands over her legs. Despite everything, Felicity feels like it's the most erotic thing he's done so far and it makes her breathless with anticipation. He wraps his hands around her hips and quickly pulls her down the bed until he's positioned between her legs. Felicity can't help the shiver of excitement that runs through her when she feels Oliver's breath against her, but he doesn't touch her just yet. Instead, he turns his head and kisses the skin of her inner thigh, sucking the flesh between his teeth. He moves up, licking and sucking as he goes, but when he reaches the top of her thigh, so close, he moves to the other leg, repeating the process. Felicity can't stop herself from groaning in frustration and Oliver looks up at her, flashing a smug grin.

But he gets the message and the next time he puts his mouth on her, he slowly drags his tongue–broad and flat and hot–against her wetness. He pulls back a moment and enjoys the taste and then gives Felicity a look that would leave her panting if she weren't already. He builds her up slowly after that, alternating between fucking her with his tongue and slipping through her folds to circle her clit. And each time Felicity feels like she might lose control, he slows again, lapping at her.

"Oliver," she says desperately the next time he moves away from her clit. He doesn't respond, but he returns his mouth to her clit, sucking it into his mouth. She gasps, fisting her hands in his hair and he slips two fingers insider her. He moves moves them in and out and soon she's moving her hips in time with them, faster and faster until Oliver suddenly curls his fingers inside her and sucks hard on her clit and Felicity cries out as pleasure explodes inside her. She rocks against him until she can catch her breath again and then finally stills.

She glances down to find Oliver still kneeling between her legs and reaches out toward him. He moves toward her eagerly but hesitates just before their lips meet. Felicity pulls him down the rest of the way, tasting herself on him as she softly kisses his lips. He comes to rest on top of her and even though her senses still aren't back to their usual sharpness, she can't help but notice the hardness of his arousal pressing against her. She'll have to do something about that. Felicity slides one hand down Oliver's chest and stomach, then under the waistband of his sweats and finally wraps her fingers around him. Oliver gasps at the contact and pulls his mouth from hers. Felicity looks up at him and though his eyes are closed, she can see his reactions to the way she strokes him written in the muscles of his jaw. She reaches up her free hand, wraps it around the back of his head and pulls him down until her lips are at his ear.

"Lay on your back," she whispers and Oliver doesn't hesitate to obey. Felicity moves with him and ends up straddling his hips, just below where her hand is still wrapped around him under the fabric of his sweats. He actually whimpers when she lets go of him and the desperate look he gives her almost makes Felicity laugh. Instead, she gives him a sly smile, slips the fingers of both hands under the waistband of his pants and then pulls them off.

Felicity stands at the foot of the bed and stares down at Oliver in all his naked, muscled glory and can't help but think that this is the most unexpected, best case ever scenario for how her plan to confront him could have gone.

She's distracted from that thought, however, as Oliver wraps his hand around his cock. "Felicity," he begs and she can't very well ignore that. She climbs onto the bed, straddles his hips again and replaces his hand with hers before leaning forward to kiss him. He responds, slipping his tongue in her mouth, but then pulls away a moment later and makes a hissing sound as she runs her thumb over his tip. Felicity sits back then and watches his face, trying not to be too distracted by the way the base of his cock rubs deliciously against her clit as she strokes him. His hands grip the sheets until his knuckles turn white and his breath comes in pants that correspond to the movement of her hand. It's a beautiful sight and Felicity can't help but reach out and run her free hand over the hard muscles of his stomach. Her fingers run over the scar tissue on his left side and Felicity's just wondering what kind of animal could have done that when Oliver grunts and rolls his hips beneath her. She looks down and finds fluid leaking from his tip, but before she can lean down and find out what it tastes like, Oliver roughly grabs the back of her neck and pulls her mouth down onto his. He plunges his tongue into her mouth and by the time he pulls away, she's left breathless.

"I need to be inside of you," he pants and this time it's Felicity's turn to whimper. The corner of his mouth tips up in a half-smile and then he points to the bedside table. "Condoms," he says and Felicity moves off him and finds one in the drawer. Her hands are shaking from how much she wants him, but she eventually manages to open the packet and roll it on him. She wraps her hand around his cock and pushes up onto her knees and then positions herself over him. Oliver's hands wrap around her hips, but he doesn't pull her down. Instead he waits, staring down between them until she decides to give him what he wants.

Felicity doesn't make him or herself wait any longer and eases down onto him. Oliver exhales sharply and throws his head back when she comes to rest in his lap. She stills a moment, adjusting to his size, and then slowly rocks her hips against his. They both moan at the feeling and Oliver digs his fingers into the flesh of her hips, pulling her forward slightly to urge her on. Felicity doesn't need anymore encouragement than that.

She rides him, slow and so, so good and Felicity can't help but watch Oliver's face as she does, the look of absolute pleasure only amplifying hers. He slides one of his hands away from her hip and up her side until he's cupping her breast. He massages the flesh and then squeezes her nipple between his fingers, eliciting a needy whine from her. She falls forward onto his chest and puts one hand on the mattress next to them and the other on the wall above. The new position gives her more leverage and Felicity pushes herself harder onto Oliver's cock, picking up the pace as she does.

Before long, they're both breathing hard and just when Felicity thinks she can't feel anymore amazing, Oliver bends his knees and thrusts hard into her. She screams out his name and drops her hands, one wrapping around his shoulder and the other gripping his hair.

"You OK?" he asks, stilling beneath her.

"Yes," she gasps, "keep going." Oliver grabs the flesh of her ass with one hand and tangles the other in her hair so he can pull her into a kiss and then thrusts again when their lips meet. Felicity moans into his mouth and then again each time he thrusts into her, until his movements become so fast that she has to stop kissing him because her moans have become a sustained cry of pleasure. She's mere moments from losing control and she wants to make this incredible feeling last, but then Oliver whispers in her ear.

"Come for me, Felicity," he says and suddenly she goes crashing over the edge, giving into the demands of Oliver and her own body. He thrusts sharply into her a few more times and then she hears him yell out and come to rest deep inside her, every muscle of his body tensed. He relaxes under her after a few moments, rocks gently into her a few more times and then grabs her face in his hands. They kiss, sloppily yet passionately as they catch their breaths until Oliver rolls them onto their sides. He pulls away from her and Felicity is momentarily disappointed until he pulls her back against him immediately after disposing of the condom in the nearby trash can.

They kiss deep and slow, their hands gently exploring each other's bodies. After a while, Oliver pulls his mouth from hers, but keeps her close, trailing his fingers softly up and down her back. He stares down at her and his expression is so tender, so content, that Felicity's heart swells inside her chest.

"I missed you," she says and then blushes, because she didn't really mean to say that out loud.

"I missed you too," he replies and gives her such a sincere smile that Felicity can't help but kiss him. She pulls away after a moment and then stares down into his face, stroking the stubble on his cheek as she does.

"Don't ever disappear like that again," Felicity says seriously, because if she's going to be needy and vulnerable she may as well do it all at once.

"I know, I'm sorry," Oliver replies, looking pained. "I promise," he adds and then pulls her on top of him.

"Good," she says, gently tapping the tip of his nose with her finger and drawing a chuckle from him. She shifts her body lower so she can rest her head on his chest before she continues. "First thing tomorrow, we can go to Mr. Diggle and tell him to switch you back to me."

Felicity knows something is wrong when Oliver's fingers immediately stop the patterns they were tracing on her skin and he goes still beneath her. She pushes up to look at him and feels nervous when she sees the blank expression on his face.

"What?" she asks.

"Felicity, I'm not going to be your bodyguard again," he says firmly. "I can't," he adds and his voice leaves no room for argument.

Well that ruins the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. As always, leave a review if you have a second. I love them. Hopefully, won't take as long with the next chapter, but as always, no guarantees.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, long time no see. I've got some things to say about that, but I'll save it for the end. You guys have waited long enough for this.

Oliver has always liked looking at Felicity's face. Not just because he thinks she's beautiful, but because of how expressive she is. He likes that he can know exactly what she's thinking even if she doesn't speak—although it's rare for her to not talk.

However, he does not enjoy the way Felicity's expression changes when he tells her he won't be her bodyguard again. He knows he has to say those words, but it doesn't make watching the surprise and hurt on her face any less awful.

"Why?" she asks, so small and already brimming with emotion that Oliver hates himself for ruining the moment.

"I just...can't," he says lamely.

"Oh my God," she says under her breath and before he can say anything else, she pushes off of him, leaving Oliver feeling cold and lonely and desperate to get her back.

"Felicity, wait," he says, pushing himself up as she scrambles off the bed away from him. But she's not paying attention to him anymore. In fact, she seems to be avoiding looking at him altogether as she collects her clothes from around the bed. "Felicity, let me explain," Oliver says as he pulls on his sweats, but before he can say anything else, she dashes into the en suite bathroom and slams the door.

Oliver walks over, braces his hands on the frame and rests his forehead against the door. "Please let me in," he says softly.

"No!" Felicity yells and while her anger is obvious, he can hear the emotion she's hiding beneath it.

"Please, Felicity, I didn't mean to upset you. But you don't understand." Oliver jumps back in surprise as she pulls the door open and he barely has time to register his disappointment that she's fully dressed before she pushes past him into the room.

"What is there to understand, Oliver?" she asks over her shoulder, still refusing to look at him. He thinks Felicity will charge straight out of the room and Oliver is just preparing to throw himself in front of the door to bar her way when she stops at the foot of his bed and leans down to look under it. He's thrown off a moment, but then he notices she isn't wearing her shoes and she's only holding one heel in her left hand. She lifts a corner of the blanket from where it's fallen on the floor and reveals the shoe–its glossy red leather like a beacon–and before she even has the time to reach for it, Oliver lunges and grabs it first.

"Give me my shoe, Oliver," Felicity demands.

"Not until you listen to what I have to say," he responds, putting the shoe behind his back and backing away from her. "Let's just sit down for a second and talk," he adds and then sits in the middle of the bed. He pats the space next to him and smiles as sweetly as he can.

"I'll stand," she replies and crosses her arms. It doesn't make him very hopeful. She's in CEO-mode now and he can't remember a time he's seen her lose an argument in a boardroom.

"I'm sorry I upset you," he starts. "I didn't handle that very well, but you have to understand—"

"Will you stop saying that," she snaps, throwing her shoe on the floor. "I understand just fine, I went to MIT, remember?" she adds before turning away from him. "I thought you meant it when you said I could feel safe with you, but clearly that was just some line—"

"Hey!," Oliver says firmly, cutting her off. "That was not a line. I meant that. I care about your safety, Felicity. That's exactly why I can't be your bodyguard anymore," he finishes, voice rising. He sighs and takes a moment to calm down, tossing her shoe lightly on the floor and repositioning himself so he's kneeling on the bed. "I left because my feelings for you compromise my judgement as your bodyguard," Oliver says softly, pleading. Felicity finally looks back at him then, still clearly angry, but Oliver thinks he can see tenderness too. "I can't protect you from potential threats if I'm too focused on you to see them," he explains. "I won't put you at risk like that just because I want to be with you."

Felicity takes in his words, shuffling her feet and looking unsure for the first time, and Oliver thinks he may have gotten through to her when she suddenly squares her shoulders.

"And what if I'm willing to risk that, Oliver?" she asks, defiant. "What if I feel safer with you and your compromised judgement than I do with anyone else?" Oliver didn't expect that. He takes a moment to collect himself before speaking again.

"But I'm not willing to take that risk," he eventually says, hating the sting that registers in her features as he does. "I want to be with you," he assures, scooting closer to her on the bed, "but I have my reasons for wanting to keep what's between us as far as possible from my work. I've seen what can happen and I won't let that happen to you."

"You mean what happened to Tommy?" she says softly. Oliver sits back on his heels, feeling like he's been punched in the gut.

"How do you know about...?" he rasps out, unable to complete the question.

"Sara told me," she says and that shocks him almost as much as her first statement. Oliver huffs a laugh and shakes his head in disbelief.

"John assigned Sara to replace me," he says, trying too wrap his head around the idea.

"Yes," Felicity says, breaking into his thoughts. "We talked on the drive over," she explains, seeming a little self-conscious. "She told me what happened to Tommy, what happened between you and her," she pauses and gives him a nervous look and then adds, "what happened between you and her sister." Oliver looks away, ashamed at the idea that Felicity knows exactly what a selfish, thoughtless asshole he can be. He can't understand how she could have still come here knowing that, let him kiss her, let him touch her, let him... That thought is cut off when he feels her hand cup his cheek, gently turning him to face her. "I understand why you're afraid," she says softly.

"Then you understand why I can't agree to this, Felicity," he says, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to you and I failed to stop it. You can't ask me to risk that."

Felicity pulls her hand away and wraps her arms around herself, looking away. Oliver watches her, wishing he knew what she was thinking, wishing he could just reach out and pull her back into his bed and they could go back to the way they were before he opened his big, dumb mouth.

"You've thought about how you'd feel if I got hurt when we were together," she says after a minute, voice soft and small. She looks up at him, eyes brimming with tears, and the only thing that stops Oliver from leaping off the bed and wrapping her in his arms is the sound of her voice. "But have you thought about how you'll feel," she falters and takes a steadying breath, "have you thought about how you'll feel if something happens to me and you aren't there to protect me?"

Oliver exhales sharply, the weight of her words crashing into him. "You can't," he starts, but his mouth is dry. "You can't say that," he finally chokes out.

"Why?" she asks, voice pained but harsh too. "Because you know that you'll beat yourself up a thousand times more that way?"

Oliver's body slumps and he has to put a hand on the bed to keep from falling over.

"That's unfair, Felicity," he rasps.

"I never promised to play fair, Oliver," she says firmly. And before he can respond, she speaks again. "Do you know what he did to me?" she asks, voice shaking.

"Felicity, I—"

"I'm not just talking about him holding me hostage or putting a gun to my head, Oliver," she says, eyes filling with tears. "It's everything that came before that. We promised to change the world together. And we did," she says forcefully, pausing to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I put everything I am into Smoak Tech and he was right by my side every step of the way. I trusted him. It almost killed me when I found out he'd been stealing from the company."

Felicity turns her face away from him again and takes a few breaths before continuing.

"Do you know the worst part of all, Oliver?" she asks, voice so soft he can barely hear her. "The thing that keeps me up at night?" she adds and turns to look at him, not even bothering to wipe the tears from her face now. "I loved him," she sobs. "He was my first boyfriend, the first man I ever loved. I thought he loved me too, but he didn't. Not really, even if he thinks he did. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't found a way to contact the police, but I believed him that night when he said he'd rather see me dead than live without me." Just hearing that nauseates Oliver. He reaches out to touch her, but Felicity smacks his hand away and then quickly swipes her hands over her cheeks. "You think I'm not afraid of mixing my personal and professional lives again?" Felicity says. "I'm terrified, Oliver. But I told you, I'm done being afraid. I won't let what happened to me before keep me from living. I can't."

Oliver sits back on his heels and drops his head into his hands, trying to collect his thoughts. "I don't think I can be that brave, Felicity," he finally says softly. What he doesn't say is how much he hates himself for that. He wants so badly to take a chance with her, to give Felicity everything she wants and be everything she needs. He feels the bed dip slightly beneath him and then stops breathing a moment later when Felicity smooths her hands on his shoulders. He drops his hands and looks up to find Felicity kneeling in front of him, mirroring his pose.

"I know what we're risking," she says, voice steady despite her tears. "I know exactly how bad it could be if Cooper comes after us or," she pauses and takes a breath before going on, "or if things don't work out between us." Oliver flinches at that. He can't stand the idea of being lumped in with Seldon in her memory. He reaches up with both hands and gently places them on the sides of her face. He looks into her eyes and Felicity smiles hopefully at him and all Oliver can do is marvel at the fact that this brave, beautiful woman somehow wants him back.

"OK," he says softly.

"OK?" she asks, barely able to hide her surprise and delight. "You'll go back to being my bodyguard and we can keep doing," she pauses and Oliver feels the heat on his palms as her cheeks flush, "this?" she finishes, gesturing between them. Despite everything, Oliver laughs. He's still smiling when he kisses her. He wraps his arms around her and leans back, pulling her on top of him as he lies down on the bed. He's so glad he's managed to get her back there and she kisses him eagerly–smiling against his mouth–but when Oliver slips his tongue past her lips he can taste the remnants of her tears. He pulls away and looks up at her, sees the way her cheeks glisten and her eyes look slightly puffy and red. He reaches up and cradles her face in his hands, swiping at the moisture on her cheeks. One corner of her mouth turns up and she shuts her eyes and then sighs.

"I'm sorry he did that to you," he says softly. "I wish I could have—"

"Don't you beat yourself up over that," Felicity interrupts, looking stern. "That's why you're here now, to make sure he can't do it again."

"I will," he promises. She smiles and then leans down to kiss him again, soft and sweet. Oliver tangles the fingers of one hand in her hair and then slides the other down and around her back. He turns them over so they're both laying on their side as they kiss and just as things are starting to get intense again, Felicity pulls away. Oliver worries a moment and then is relieved when Felicity gently pushes him onto his back and then lays her head on his chest, bringing her body flush against his side. She sighs contentedly and drapes an arm possessively over his torso. Oliver pulls her close and watches her. She idly strokes his skin, moving her hand across his chest and then down to his stomach. He watches her movements with bated breath and is somewhat disappointed when her hand takes a sharp left turn at his belly button and lightly runs her fingers over the scars on his flank.

"What kind of animal did this?" she asks innocently and turns to look up at him. Oliver reaches up to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes and uses the brief pause to decide whether he should tell her. He doesn't like to talk about what happened overseas. But Felicity isn't just anyone. So he takes a deep breath and tells her.

"A bear," he says simply.

"You got attacked by a bear?!" Felicity half-yells and pushes up onto her elbow. Oliver can't help but chuckle at the comical look of horror on her face. "Who gets attacked by a bear?" she continues, incredulous.

"I do," Oliver replies and then adds, "in Afghanistan. I'm not exactly the luckiest guy."

"I'll try not to take that personally," Felicity says with a smirk and then leans toward him.

"Present company excluded," he replies and closes the distance, softly pressing his lips to hers and tangling his fingers in her hair.

"So how does that even happen?" Felicity asks, pulling away.

Oliver sighs because he'd rather be kissing her, but he knows what she's like: too curious to let the subject drop there.

"There's a fair number of black bears in the wooded areas in the northeast," he explains. "We were on a patrol one night not far from a local village. I accidentally walked into the bear's territory and it attacked."

"Oh my God," Felicity says, shaking her head.

"Thankfully, it only got the one bite in before I got a shot in and stunned it. Rest of the unit helped me finish it off."

"Oh," Felicity says and Oliver thinks she might actually sound a little disappointed. "That kind of bear isn't endangered or anything is it?"

"That wasn't really my concern at the time," Oliver says drily.

"OK, good point," Felicity admits and then rests her head on his chest again. She's quiet then and Oliver savors how good it feels to just be with her.

"So what happens now?" she asks, turning her head up to face him.

"Well, you should start by taking this off," he says while tugging at the fabric of her dress.

"I'm serious," she replies, nudging him in the stomach even as she stifles a laugh. "Should we call Mr. Diggle and tell him you're coming back to me? Will he even allow it?"

"I don't really know," Oliver admits. "Fraternizing with a client is the one rule we're not allowed to break. John is going to be furious." He's about to go on when Felicity's stomach makes a low rumbling sound. "Hungry?" he asks, smirking.

"I could eat," she replies, burying her face into his chest to hide how much she's blushing.

"Dinner first then."

"I vote Big Belly," she says, pushing off of him. "And don't worry about Mr. Diggle. I'm sure he'll be OK with everything once we explain the situation."

Oliver knows it isn't true, but looking at Felicity smiling down at him while she sits on the edge of his bed, anything seems possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thanks for reading. As always, reviews are very encouraging and much appreciated.
> 
> Since it's been so long since my last update, I thought I should explain myself. A number of challenges–both personal and professional– have made finding time to write very difficult for the last year or so. More importantly, though, my relationship to Arrow and the fandom changed drastically last year. While I'm slowly coming back around to the former, I've completely left the latter. I'm not exactly sure what this means for my fics. I'd like to finish them, but as before, I can't promise any regular posting schedule. I'm hoping I won't be gone so long this time. Regardless, thanks for sticking with me and being patient.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Got this done faster than expected and thought I'd put it up in celebration of tonight's episode.

Felicity doesn't think she's ever seen anyone look so nervous. Even when Thea got in that car accident, there was a focus to Oliver's anxiety that made him seem like he was in control. Now, sitting in his boss's office, waiting to disclose their relationship, he seems like a spooked animal. His eyes constantly shift around the room and when Felicity rests her hand on Oliver's knee to stop its incessant bouncing, he nearly jumps out of his seat.

"Everything will be fine," she says soothingly.

"I hope so," Oliver says and glances in the direction of Mr. Diggle's assistant to make sure she isn't looking before he reaches down and covers Felicity's hand with his. "He could fire me, you know."

"Well, I guess I'd just have to hire you as an independent contractor then," Felicity says with a mischievous smile. Oliver narrows his eyes at her and smirks.

"You'd actually like being my boss, wouldn't you?"

She leans in close and whispers, "Don't you?" He doesn't answer, but Felicity can tell from the way he smiles that he most certainly would. She's just about to lean in to kiss him–assistant be damned–when the sound of a door opening draws their attention. Oliver quickly pulls away from Felicity, but she's pretty sure his boss noticed anyway given the look on his face.

"Mr. Diggle," Felicity says, standing and offering her hand. "Thanks for making time to see us."

"Of course," he says, smiling briefly at her before giving Oliver a searching look. "Come on in," he adds, holding his hand out toward his office. Felicity walks in and waits until Oliver is standing in front of the chair on her right before she moves to sit. She gives him an encouraging nod and he smiles weakly back.

"So what can I do for you, Ms. Smoak?" Mr. Diggle asks as he takes the seat across from them.

"I'd like to have Oliver permanently transferred back to me," she says confidently. He seems taken aback for a moment and his eyes flick over to Oliver before he responds.

"And you agree with that decision?" he asks.

"Yes," Oliver says, the determined look on his face the first glimpse of his confidence Felicity's seen all morning. She reaches over, wraps her hand around Oliver's and he startles at the contact. Mr. Diggle looks equally surprised.

"We also wanted to disclose that we're in a relationship," Felicity says. Mr. Diggle is quiet for a moment and then leans back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

"Then I'm afraid I won't be able to reassign Oliver to your protection detail," he replies, voice steely. "Your relationship compromises Oliver's ability to do his job and, God forbid, should something happen to you on his watch, my company is liable."

"I'll sign whatever contract or waivers necessary to remove any liability from you or your company," Felicity assures him. He seems unmoved, however, and she decides she might need to take a more aggressive approach. She sits back in her chair and crosses her arms, mirroring his pose, before continuing. "I understand your position, Mr. Diggle, but I assure you, this will happen with or without your approval. You can choose to work with us or you can fire Oliver, but I will hire him independently if that's your decision." He sighs and looks over at Oliver, clearly angry. 

"Given what you and Sara went through, I can't believe you'd agree to this, Oliver," he admonishes. He glances over at Felicity after he says it and she can tell he's gauging her reaction.

"Oliver and I have already discussed what happened between him and Sara," she says firmly and then softens her tone when she adds, "and what happened to Tommy." Mr. Diggle looks shocked at that. "I understand why both of you are concerned. And Oliver knows my misgivings as well. I have no illusions about the risks involved," she pauses and reaches over to take Oliver's hand in hers again before continuing. "I don't take any pleasure in putting you in this position and the last thing I want is to be the cause of a riff in your friendship with Oliver. But this is what I need to do to feel safe and happy and after everything I've been through, I just can't compromise on that."

Felicity takes a deep breath and then looks over at Oliver. He smiles encouragingly and she smiles back before turning back to Mr. Diggle. He's quiet a moment, features hard and seemingly uncompromising as he looks between them, and then his shoulders slump as he sighs and shakes his head. He leans forward and presses some buttons on his phone.

"Eileen," he says, "will you work up a contract for Ms. Smoak and Oliver similar to the one we made yesterday for Sara and Ms. Raatko?"

"Of course," his assistant says through the speaker and then clicks off.

"Wait what?" Oliver asks, confused.

"Sara rushed in here late last night telling the same story you two are," he explains. "Apparently, I'm running a dating service instead of a personal security company."

"Wait, Raatko?" Felicity interjects. "As in Nyssa Raatko? As in the heir to the Lazarus Corporation?"

"Yep," Mr. Diggle replies.

"Wow," she says, impressed. "Well, at least you're running a high-end dating service." She hears Oliver clear his throat to her right, but when she glances over, she can see he's trying to hide a smile. Mr. Diggle seems to notice anyway and he gives Oliver a look before responding.

"To be clear, just because I'm allowing this doesn't mean I approve," Mr. Diggle says. "But if you really are willing to relieve me and Spartan Personal Security of any liability, then I won't stop you."

"Thank you, Mr. Diggle," Felicity replies and stands to shake his hand. "I really appreciate your understanding."

"You can call me John," he replies as he stands and takes her hand in his. "It shouldn't take too long to work up those papers, but would you mind stepping outside for a minute? I'd like to speak to Oliver alone."

"Sure," she replies, ignoring the desperate look in Oliver's eyes. She leans up and kisses Oliver on the cheek and even though she knows it's not exactly the best way to keep them on John's good side, what does she care if he's annoyed? She's about to leave the room anyway.

Felicity has just closed the door when her cell phone rings. She digs it out of her purse and groans when she sees who's calling.

"Hi, Mom," she says when she answers.

"Hey, Sweetie," Donna Smoak says in that bright, carefree way she always does. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, it's fine," Felicity replies, "but I only have a few minutes."

"That's all I need," her mother responds, but Felicity knows that she probably would have kept talking regardless. "So, I know you're busy at work and I know you probably haven't even thought about what to do for you birthday yet, so I've made a decision."

"What?" Felicity asks, though she's pretty sure she's already guessed.

"I'm coming to Starling City!" Donna says and Felicity smacks her hand against her face.

"Mom, is that really necessary?"

"Well, honey, I know you' haven't exactly been dating and I just don't want you to end up spending your birthday alone with your bodyguard."

Felicity is just about to tell her mother how happy she'd be if she did spend her birthday alone with her bodyguard, but thankfully, Oliver himself stops her from speaking when he comes out of John's office looking chastened.

"Mom, I have to go," she says, resigned. "We can talk about this later."

"OK, honey," Donna replies, "but don't you worry about a thing. I've already booked my flights and I'll be there in a few days."

"OK, Mom," Felicity says, pushing up her glasses to rub her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too!" Donna replies and then hangs up.

"Everything OK?" Oliver asks and places a hand gently on Felicity's shoulder. She groans and then rests her head on Oliver's chest.

"My mom is coming to town for my birthday," she says, voice slightly muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"That'll be nice," Oliver says, clearly a bit confused by her reaction. "I'm glad I'll finally get to meet her." Felicity's head flies up and Oliver looks surprised when she grips his lapels in her hands and pulls him toward her.

"We can't tell her about us," she says, trying not to sound hysterical. Oliver looks momentarily hurt and Felicity realizes how that must have sounded. "It's not you," she reassures him. "It's just that she gets so nosy and you're so tall and muscular and she's gonna get so fluttery and possibly flirty and then she'll start asking about your family and I just can't watch that." Oliver chuckles and places his hands on Felicity's shoulders.

"Felicity, it will be fine," he says soothingly and she breathes a sigh of relief.

"So you don't mind if we don't tell her?"

"Are you kidding?" Oliver says, incredulous. "After what I just went through?" he asks, pointing a thumb toward John's door. "No, I'm not OK with that. We're telling your mom about us," he says firmly, though he's still smiling.

Felicity groans and drops her head to Oliver's chest again and, much as she would like to argue, he does have a point. Oliver wraps his arms around her and Felicity does the same.

"I'm great with parents," he assures. "I promise it won't be that bad."

"Fine," Felicity grumbles into his chest. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Just a note about the next chapter, that will not go up as fast as this one did. My writing process is scattered and I worte most of this chapter over a year ago. The next chapter will be much longer and I haven't written much of it yet. As always, reader feedback feeds the muse and is also much appreciated. Would love to hear what you guys think of the story or the characterization in these recent chapters or the story as a whole. It will give me stuff to keep in mind as I plot out the final few chapters of the fic.


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